It was still head and shoulders above the norm.

Agreed -- far better than I'd expected, with some good interviewees - doesn't 'young' Lord Stockton look like his dad (bar the whiskers); and, of course, the phlegmatic Winkle, a truly fearless aviator. I hope the next episode is as good. I learned a good deal from this first one.

You think the would still remove them even if the seat is inert, a bit like calling 3 Greens on fixed wing aircraft, leaving pins in because seats are inert might one day catch someone out in a live seat aircraft and I cannot see any reason not to remove them, in an emergency would you know the seats were inert and could indeed have a placard by the pins.

Just watching tonight's programme. Apart from the commentator not knowing what a barrel roll is, fascinating stuff.

Have I seen any PPRuNers tonight?

Another excellent program, quite a few shots I've not seen before.

Didn't like the bit where he spoke over Churchill's speech as that made it slightly more difficult to hear.

Would also liked to have seen a more more on the Lightning

Did chuckle slightly when the Cuba alert clip was shown with a missile with "Drill" painted on it and when they spoke of a Lincoln being shot down in the Berlin corridor and showed a B17.

I really enjoyed that. Although I was relieved at the end to discover I missed nowt special at Wembley in the meantime.

Unfortunately the same journo view on the TSR2.. "It was a traversty being axed", not that it was a dogs dinner of a specification that was never likely to be fulfiled even by the best efforts of BAC.. Shame the Empire of the Clouds wasn't transfered into a documentary..

I thought that was very silly - the only jarring note in an otherwise good programme.

Sergei Kruschev showed himself to be a man of taste and discernment when he said that of the three V Bombers he had seen at an airshow, he was particularly impressed by the Victor ;) Seriously the Victor B1 in anti-flash white really did look like something out of the future!

A shame that the U-2 segment didn't include Martin Bee, even though he appeared in the Lightning segment....

Sergei Khruschev seems a fascinating chap - he must have a lot of tales to tell!

I was rather amused that the 'post-release' segment about getting back to the UK was obviously filmed in a Jet Provost!

But overall, a refreshingly good programme. But it's a pity that there isn't enough Victor footage available to avoid the use of Victor tanker clips in bomber documentaries...

If an aircraft( Victor /Vulcan) was on QRA during ground icing conditions how was it de-iced in time to launch within the QRA window.?

What happened to 558? All we saw was the forlorn and forgotten Woodford Vulcan. They should have also covered the loss of the Vulcan over Syerston and the leading edge mod.

I wpuld have liked to see the TSR2 piece go onto Harrier, Jaguar and Tornado - the Cold War didn't finish in the 70s!

I enjoyed the program, but it is, to me, unfinished. I also noticed the horrific B17 error and also the drill round. Nice to see RPE and Tom Eeles, though :ok:

LJ

So why not finish the story? What about the tactical nuclear stuff?

Far too much about the V-Force for me!

I agree, surely a 3rd episode covering the late 70s and 80s is a must! They mentioned that the Lightning was retired a year before the Wall came down so why not go onto the development and use of Tornado/Harrier/Jag /Buccaneer/Phantom etc...?

Leon, hundreds of years ago (it seems) I worked with Mrs. RPE, she was far too nice for him, even though he was a nice bloke.

Yes some good footage but far too much waffle. It didnt really need as much 1960's scene setting. That time could have been given over to other aircraft. Oh, and 'only the best crews were chosen to fly in the V bombers' .... not how I remember it!!:sad:

Just watched the first episode thanks to iPlayer and about to watch second.

I personally didn't think the Provost was too heavily featured, in fact I thought some of the cinematography was stunning.

Also just Wiki'd Eric Winkle Brown. Being ex FAA I'd heard of him but until tonight never knew his career. Notwithstanding the vagaries of wiki... a truly remarkable man and career

I've found what Part 3 should be on You Tube - Jags, Buccs, TSR2, Vulcans, Victors and Tornado all included. All that BBC would need to do is re-dub it!


LJ :ok:

You have to read his book 'Wings on my sleeve.'
It's excellent.


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They were deiced regularly. I remember one night the QRA crews themselves used a Landrover with dozer blade keeping the dispersal clear while the ground crew kept the route from dispersal to runway open.

One crewman managed to drive the dozer in to a snow drift. His relief complained that he had had to spend an hour digging it out again.

I am not aware of at any time during my time of a station going black for QRA.

IIRC that was a film clip of a QB17 shot down by a Nike test vehicle. I can't remember if it was a clip on general release or one we were shown during training.

That depends on the period. By the time you joined the V-force it was well on the way to becoming a routine assignment with first tour captains, copilots made up to captains and general talk of dilution.

Before that, 50s and early 60s it was certainly true. Copilots with 1000 hours, nav radars with a one-year NBS course, plotters with a previous Canberra tour or more. Some crews transferred en mass from Valiant to Vulcan.